SBIR Phase I: Class Bucks Engagement and Gamified Learning System

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The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in the positive effect it will have in the classroom, and ultimately, on school dropouts. Dropouts face bleak economic futures, are more likely to commit a crime and be incarcerated, suffer poor health, and exact a financial toll on society. Since dropping out of school is a gradual process of a student becoming disengaged in the classroom, the proposed project will address school dropout at the most elemental level. At the end of this project, the development team will have an innovative, web-based game that will transform the classroom dynamic, in any school, and give teachers meaningful analytics so they can better meet their student’s needs, keep them engaged in the learning process, and reduce the number of kids dropping out of school. The innovative platform has the potential raise the learning opportunities for marginalized learners and stimulate positive societal change.The intellectual merit of this project is in the quantitative measurement and tracking of student engagement and production of a longitudinal analysis for each student, so teachers can track engagement throughout an entire quarter, semester, or year. The solution will empower instructors to make more well-informed decisions for their classrooms. The research will focus on converting the original composite, laborious, pen, paper, and spreadsheet version of the tool into a web-based version that integrates with teacher lessons while accommodating diverse content areas and a multitude of teaching styles. As students interact with the web-based, gamified lesson delivery platform, they can earn or lose virtual dollars while learning valuable soft skills such as such as responsibility, critical thinking, and work ethics, including financial literacy skills such as online banking, investing, using credit, and budgeting. This project will harness the game platform quality to capture students' attention and generate motivation to invest time and energy into learning. In the process, the game will collect valuable learning metrics and provide reports and analytics for teachers so they can learn more about their students. The goal of the proposed project is to develop the minimum viable product and test pilot its efficacy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.